Forest of Imagination

Unsuspected Relationships

Well, it was part of the plan to rescue us. Which was a little boring for McKenzie, while Katie was downright disappointed.

Yes, disappointed that we didn't get captured.

"So I realize you never found out my last name. It's Minor on my mom's side, who prefers to keep her maiden name, and Beach on my dad's side. I can't decide which surname I want, even though on my birth certificate it said 'Delilah Beach,'" Delilah said, after we washed up like nothing had happened. Me, my head was spinning so fast I couldn't even process what Delilah was saying. But she was looking out toward the waves, a look of almost longing on her face, and her words laced with a certain emotion that I could only make out as either disappointment or boredom. The meanings of her words, I felt like there was a bigger meaning to them, like they were just a metaphor. The words were a locked door, the meaning was the key...but isn't that how it always is with words? Words, if unlocked, led to the center of emotions, but humans seem to have lost the special quality of unlocking metaphorical doors as they grew.

Growth changed you, for the better or the worse. Delilah thought that her growth would be for the worse.

"I think that your surname doesn't matter, as long as you make what you want worth it," I said, which probably didn't make sense for anybody, but it did for me. I saw McKenzie gesture for me to come over though, so I said quickly, "I'll let you process that," to Delilah and swam to where McKenzie was, far out in the ocean and far away from the beach and sand where Delilah, Katie and I were.

"I heard Delilah, and I didn't hear your reply, but there's something I need to tell you about the last name 'Beach,'" McKenzie said hurriedly. "My dad, his name was Tristan. He went into hiding like me, but took the HO - Human Operation - before going onto land. He's basically completely human on the outside now, but he swore that he would always be a merman at heart, which his blood shows. Queen Aster, my mom, is still alive, I know it. And I knew my dad was still alive too, after all those years, and his last name was...Beach."

"Beach," I repeated idiotically. "Are you implying that King Tristan Beach, King of the Four Seas" - I said this to annoy McKenzie - "is Delilah from Earth's dad? How did your dad walk all the way to Earth?"

"Certain fairies, like Queen Brooke, Garrett - none of us know his real name anyway - and Harmony are galaxy-flyers, which means they could go to Earth and come back easily. My guess is that Dad asked one of them to help him. However, galaxy-flyers are pretty rare and a half-fairy one is even rarer, which is why I'm scared to be around Harmony. Assassins and experimenters are after her, and they might take me too. Assassins are the real threat though, because experimenters don't have any weapons that they could use to threaten us," McKenzie finally spilled out. She was like a tunnel of secrets that I was falling into, and made me wonder what other dark secrets could be hidden in Terra Meridian.

"That's...terrifying," I shuddered. What was it like to have people wanting to kill you all the time?

"Yes, it is, but I'm mostly mad at my dad right now," McKenzie said, and for the first time I noticed her breathing was out of control - a definite sign of anger. "My mom is still alive, and he has the nerve to just marry and move on, have two kids and literally fly out of my life? So now he has three kids, while my mom has one: McKenzie, Delilah and Luke. And he and my mom aren't even divorced yet, they just have a...a long-distance relationship!"

"Hey Melody, I think I get what you mean," Delilah waved over to me, smiling. She didn't even yell, which made me wonder how she knew how high her volume was, because it was perfect. It sounded like she was just regularly talking, only two feet away from me on the beach.

"Sorry, I gotta go, but I promise I'll think about what you said," I nodded to McKenzie and swam back.

"Just make what you want worth your want, no matter what your surname is, right?" Delilah asked. In truth, I was surprised that Delilah was smart enough to figure that out so quick, not that I expected her to be dumb but more like, me expecting her to take her time and chat.

"And the want in question is bigger than a toy, bigger than a mansion or any solid object," I nodded.

"You're smart, you know," Delilah said, looking out at the horizon again before jumping up. "Oh, I think I have to go to my family now, since it's five thirty already. That guy who pulled us up was my brother Luke, and any mishap I get into results in fifteen minutes off beach time. The first mishap was accidentally putting Orange Crush into my mom's iced green tea, and my regular beach time goes until six o' clock." I replayed what Delilah had said when she left.

You're smart, you know.

"Come on guys, I found a cave that's actually pretty luxurious to sleep in," McKenzie grinned, waving.

"Well, let's spend the night on Earth then," Katie said sarcastically, having spent her whole life here.

"It's not too bad," I retorted, than swam with super strength to the cave. I had some mermaid swim-power left too, and I could swim against the medium-sized waves fine enough. Katie had some trouble, but finally managed to "swim" by kicking her legs like a maniac, and mostly pushing off of the ocean floor until the water got too deep. Then Katie relied on whatever hidden "talents" there were inside her body for the rest of the time.

The cave was pretty luxurious, at least says the washed-up pearl ring on the ground, which I swooped up because of safe-keeping (mostly).

"Let's get some sleep, and then we are going back to the United TM province because I am NOT going to purposely get Delilah's blood," I ordered, bossy and not at all fun-loving like before.

Katie shrugged. "Works fine with me."

Except that night I couldn't sleep. I kept on looking out the window when there was nothing to see.

A shooting star whooshed pass my window, and I paused, thinking of a wish. "I wish - I wish..." I said out loud.

That I could finally visit Copenhagen?

That I would finally get a book published?

That I could become a movie star?

No. I mean, those were great wishes and all, but what if Copenhagen turned out to be disappointing? What if, even if I got my book published, no one liked it or even bought it at all?

Not the most wise wish, sure, but I finally wished to get a dog.

Because, hey, it might come true.

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A/N: This is a short Author's Note. First off, I will be doing a third person view! The perspective will still be Melody, it's just that it'll say "Melody" or "she" instead of "I."

Also, this chapter will be dedicated to no one yet because there's no one I really want to, except SocialyAwkwardWriter and I dedicated my last chap to her. mel_0dy already has my attention on email.

--Cam